Why the Micro-Lift? The tank is running for 5 years stated in first post. Did I miss something? Salt water is way different than fresh water aquariums and discus are a bit different to keep than other fresh water fish; I had them all. Most folks keep substrates low and some not at all with discus like mentioned above. Reason is because of what builds up in it and it causes an anaerobic conditions which is hazardous for discus. It seems to be a good environment for Hexamita, which can over take a weakened immune system or stressed discus, which can be caused by not enough fresh water and a well maintained tank. Seems from reading your post you're making things more complicated for yourself and fish, when simple is the best approach. I see a lot of newbies to discus over the years on here and most can't wait to put their new discus in a planted tank or one that has been set up for something else, which could be their first mistake. The kind of substrate can also be important like mentioned above. So are frequent and large WC's best for the discus in the long run and then less meds will be used.